South Central Reporter

The majority of students in Macoupin County schools were white in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Of the 7,361 students attending Macoupin County schools, 94% were white. multiracial students were the second largest ethnicity, making up 2.2% of Macoupin County students.

In the previous school year, white students were also the most common group in Macoupin County, representing 94% of the student body.

Carlinville High School and Staunton High School had the most diverse student body in Macoupin County, including Hispanic, multiracial, and white.

In the 2022-23 school year, the total number of students enrolled in public schools in the county dropped 1.1% compared to the previous year.

In the 2021-22 school year, Illinois had roughly 1.9 million students enrolled across approximately schools. There were more than 130,000 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.

Illinois has increased its state funding for public schools by $350 million, bringing the total to $8.6 billion for the upcoming year. This is in line with a 2017 law aiming to provide adequate funding to all schools by 2027.

However, experts suggest that this goal may be delayed unless education funding jumps to at least $550 million. According to a Center for Tax and Budget Accountability report, there’s currently a funding gap of about $2.3 billion.

School name	Most prevalent ethnicity	Percent of Total Student Body	Total Enrollment
Ben-Gil Elementary School	White	95.5%	557
Brighton North Primary School	White	94.4%	305
Bunker Hill High School	White	91%	211
Carlinville High School	White	94%	386
Carlinville Intermediate School	White	91.1%	258
Carlinville Middle School	White	92.5%	281
Carlinville Primary School	White	89.5%	382
Gillespie High School	White	94.2%	343
Gillespie Middle School	White	95.8%	239
Medora Intermediate School	White	93.7%	174
Mt. Olive Elementary School	White	97%	366
Mt. Olive High School	White	98.3%	120
North Mac Elementary School	White	92.8%	347
North Mac High School	White	92.8%	375
North Mac Intermediate School	White	90.1%	212
North Mac Middle School	White	94.8%	230
Northwestern Elementary School	White	98.9%	174
Northwestern High School	White	98.8%	84
Northwestern Junior High School	White	96.2%	53
Shipman Elementary School	White	97%	169
Southwestern High School	White	95.3%	363
Southwestern Middle School	White	93.1%	188
Staunton Elementary School	White	96.1%	535
Staunton High School	White	92.3%	402
Staunton Junior High School	White	94%	250
Wolf Ridge Education Center	White	92.2%	357